I bought the Me My Elos Hair Remover machine on Look Fantastic ( http://www.lookfantastic.com/me-my-elos-permanent-hair-reduction-ipl-machine/10647747.html) at £225 (S$438) after a 10% discount a few months back. I started using it around mid May as an alternative to going for brazillian waxing sessions. Here are some photos of it and my review.
Overview
My version is the first version of the Me My Elos machine (currently the third and newest version is the Me My Elos plus) , which I purchased on Look Fantastic for £225 (usual price £250) and I did not buy any additional attachments like the shaver or epilator head that they were offering.
When the machine first arrived, the first thing I noticed was that it was really tiny as compared to all the professional/salon sized IPL machines used on me over the years!
It also comes with a pair of really dark goggles incase you want to IPL facial areas like upper lip or jaw/chin. There’s an instructional manual which I glanced briefly through. Some users have mentioned online that they have no idea how to operate the device despite reading the manual, so we included some instructions below.
Review & Observations:
Easy to use: I don’t really like reading instructional manuals so I briefly glanced through them before pressing only three buttons to start using the machine. The on/off button, the Medium setting button, and the “Elos” button on the hand-held unit.
Flash triggers with skin contact: There are two metal plates that your thumb and finger have to hold onto, and there are another two small metal pieces next to the bulb at the head. Only with contact of all these four points, does the flash then automatically trigger and recharge. Pretty safe too, it ensures that the device doesn’t just randomly trigger without it actually being placed on skin (you don’t want it to flash into your eye!)
Pain factor – Pretty Low: Unless you’re using it on dark skin, the “snaps” of each flash don’t really hurt. Definitely doesn’t hurt as much as a rubber band snap! If you have really dark skin, you should get the new Elos Plus instead since the older versions aren’t suitable for dark skin/light hair
Hair reduction, not hair removal: The misconception about IPL is that it removes 100% of the hair. Usually that is not the case. IPL can help with hair reduction, meaning that, with frequent use, only a smaller percentage of the number of hairs regrow. I have used it around 8 times on the brazillian/bikini area and the current amount of hair regrowth is about 20%
Convenience & Commitment: Although convenient that you can “schedule” your own weekly sessions, the user needs to be committed to using it and not skipping sessions. I had to use it weekly for about 3 to 4 weeks before I could see a reduction in hair growth.
Replacement cartridge: You can change the cartridge if a few different people are using it, or if your cartridge runs out of flashes. This version’s cartridges come with 5400 flashes each, but the new ones come with 120,000 flashes.
How long per area should you use it for? The reference guide included with the kit suggests a minimum of 1 min per underarm, 2 mins for bikini line, 3 mins for forearm, and 10 mins for half leg. Personally, I make sure I go over the areas that I want to treat at least 4 times per session. You need to give each area at least 10 seconds to cool, so I just run the applicator across the area and come back to the start point when I’m done.
Cost/ Price: If you’re buying it online, Version 1 (this one) is going at £250 on Lookfantastic.com
I found a place in Singapore that stocks it, Clariancy, but it was going at over S$990!!
The third generation version, called Me My Elos Plus, is now going at US$540 (inclusive of shipping) direct on their website
In a nutshell…
I find that it’s a really good investment if you want IPL sessions across your body but don’t want to pay the high price that many hair removal salons charge.
